In the Philippines, the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 defines local development as the main responsibility of local government units and provides for increased local autonomy. However, there is still a great lack of awareness among local governments in pursuing Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) as integral part of the local development process. At the metropolitan level, disjointed policies and uncoordinated mechanisms diminish local efforts in addressing urban issues that have metro-wide impacts, including road traffic congestion and air pollution due to vehicular emission. This paper examines critical sustainable transport and governance issues in Metro Manila and presents possible approaches for effectively pursuing EST in the context of effective metropolitan development.
